A memory card, such as a multi-media card (MMC) is used to store data for a card reading apparatus, such as a digital camera, a smart phone, or an MP3, to read or write data from or into the memory card.
The card reading apparatus is provided with at least one card slot, which has a fixed size for a matching memory card to insert thereinto. In other words, a memory card must have a size matching that of the card slot to be inserted into the card slot.
There are many new memory cards constantly developed to have reduced sizes. For instance, an MMC card 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is initially designed to have a size as small as a postage stamp. And now, a new version of MMC card 2 has been developed to have a size only about one half of a postage stamp. The length-reduced MMC card 2 has gradually replaced the old MMC card 1 and plays an important role in the memory card market. To read or write the length-reduced memory card 2, it is necessary to insert the memory card 2 into a card slot having a size matching that of the memory card 2. That is, there must be a card reading apparatus that has a card slot with a size matching that of the length-reduced memory card 2 to enable reading and writing of the length-reduced memory card 2. The length-reduced memory card 2 inserted in a card slot on an old card reading apparatus could not be easily removed therefrom or would even become unusable.
A common way to solve this problem is to purchase a new card reading apparatus that has a card slot matching the size of the length-reduced memory card 2. However, most card reading apparatus are expensive and it is apparently a burden for the user to purchase a new one. Moreover, general card reading apparatus are designed to have an extended usable life, and it is not economical to arbitrarily discard the old card reading apparatus.
The concept of memory card adapter has also been employed to connect the length-reduced memory card 2 to an old card slot. That is, the memory card adapter is provided at an end with a plug for inserting into the card slot of an old card reading apparatus, and at the other end with a card slot matching the length-reduced memory card 2. However, since the card slot on the card reading apparatus has only very limited space, it is not suitable for the memory card adapted to plug therein. Besides, the memory card adapter has complicate structure that requires increased time and labor to manufacture. And, it is also very inconvenient to connect the memory card to the card reading apparatus via an adapter.